External battery extender for M5

[dbike]

Has anyone found an external battery pack that
can recharge the M5 using AA batteries.

I have seen one spec'ed for the 3600 for
which there were positive reviews, but I am
unsure whether they would work on the M5.

Is the cable socket the same for the M5 and the
3600? Are the power pinouts the same?

I can think of some situations where I would
like to use the M5 for extended periods away
from an electrical outlet, ie several days.

DB

[AnswerDude]

This should work;
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/semsons-inc/unbaexwiusbp.html

[AKlopper]

The M5 external power supply comes with a barrel connector that enables you to plug it into the cradle, and a barrel-connector-to-24-pin-proprietary-M5-sync-connector
adapter to allow you to connect the power supply to the M5 without the cradle, since the M5 doesn't take barrel connectors directly (i.e., it can only receive power via the sync connector).

If you have a power supply with the correct voltage and polarity, and that has a barrel connector that fits the M5 power adapter, you should be able to get it to work.

Be warned that the Garmin USB sync cable accessory doesn't have an input for external power, so it can't be used to charge the M5 at all.